TTK

Artist Featured in Upcoming Show

::FOTOGRAFFER::

curated by sienide

TTK

Bio

"Who is TTK?" Since first bursting onto the scene in 2004, Mike "TTK" Harris has left everyone who has seen his work asking that question. TTK is a double threat, painting on canvas as well as sneaker customization. His amazing accuracy with a paint brush and his ability to transfer his imagination in vivid detail onto any canvas has gained him a worldwide following. TTK began at the age of 6, when he saw the movie that would change his life. "Beat Street" introduced him to hip-hop music, culture and art, and showed him how they can be fused together. TTK also cites comic books as one of his earliest influences, specifically comic book writer and illustrator Todd McFarlane. He was also heavily influenced by his older cousin, whom he looked up to as a brother. TTK credits him as the first person to put a pencil in his hand and teach him how to draw as well as how to lace his Pumas up correctly.
    Armed with a newfound love for art and hip hop culture, Mike Harris transformed into "TTK". He drew, sketched and tagged on every surface he could find. He didn't receive formal art training until high school where he studied fine art and learned how to paint. After graduating and entering college, TTK's bright future was put on hold by the birth of his daughter. Needing a job so that he could properly support her, he joined the Navy. After working on a submarine everyday for 2 years, spending weeks and months at a time underwater, he was able to come home. Upon returning in 2004 he was told about the new movement in the art and fashion world, sneaker customization. Being a huge sneaker collector already, this was perfect for him. After checking out what the current sneaker artists had to offer, he decided to try it out."I could do this and I can do it better". Eventually he created his own signature style, which is his affinity for combining colors that are not usually associated with each other, and his ability to recreate any picture or photo with amazing detail.
  Since then TTK has won the Custom Kicks Showdown sponsored by Finishline and Reebok, the Hartford, Connecticut division of the Funk Flex Sneaker Battle, and he was featured on the History Channel show, "The Works". He has traveled the country making appearances and displaying his work at various trade shows and has gained fans as far as South Korea, where he was also comissioned to work. He has done custom work for music artist Cormega, r&b soul singer Dwele, and Natalie aka the Floacist from the r&b group Floetry as well as special projects for Cornell University, Timberland, and clothing line Hood Prep. Summer of 2009 was his busiest yet. TTK. He painted a mural at New York radio station Hot 97's annual summer concert Summer Jam June of that year,  as well as a live art installation at the New York location of the Sneaker Pimps national tour. He was also invited to be apart of the Casio G-Shock "Shock The World" event where he put together work for Kanye West and the VP of time pieces at Casio. He has also been interviewed by The Source magazine and Slam magazine as well as Hot 97 radio host Lisa Evers for her show "Street Soldiers".
Who is TTK? He is an artist, a brand, a movement. What's next for this rising star? Only the sky's the limit....

TTK
WWW.GOTTKGO.COM
twitter.com/gottkgo
www.go-ttk-go.blogspot.com
myspace.com/gottkgo